HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.C.R. NO. 92 THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022 STATE OF HAWAII HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE Department of agriculture to assist coffee farmers in purchasing organic fertilizer to prevent coffee leaf rust.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.C.R. NO. 92
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.C.R. NO.
92
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE Department of agriculture to assist coffee farmers in purchasing organic fertilizer to prevent coffee leaf rust.
WHEREAS, coffee is one of the largest agricultural crops in the State and a highly valued commodity in the State's economy; and WHEREAS, in 2020, coffee leaf rust, caused by a devastating plant pathogen that can devastate fields of coffee plants, was discovered for the first time on the islands of Hawaii and Maui; and WHEREAS, considered to be one of the most damaging diseases of coffee plants, coffee leaf rust has also been found on Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, and Oahu; and WHEREAS, the spread of coffee leaf rust on all Hawaiian Islands threatens the viability of the State's coffee industry; and WHEREAS, Act 105, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014 (Act 105), appropriated funds for the development and implementation of a pesticide subsidy program, which was implemented in 2016, to assist coffee growers with offsetting the cost of purchasing pesticides containing Beauveria bassiana, a naturally occurring fungus known to cause mortality in coffee berry borers; and WHEREAS, Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, established a full-time, exempt, temporary pesticide subsidy program manager position; and WHEREAS, subsequent legislation extended the sunset dates of the pesticide subsidy program and pesticide subsidy program manager position to June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024, respectively, and expanded the pesticide subsidy program to also offer subsidies to purchase contact and systemic fungicides that, when combined, are effective against coffee leaf rust; and WHEREAS, tree health is a vital component in fighting the infestation and spread of coffee leaf rust; and WHEREAS, according to the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, the cost of fertilizer for the maintenance of coffee tree health is at least equal to the cost of fungicides that are used to control coffee leaf rust on organic farms; and WHEREAS, the pesticide subsidy program established by Act 105, as amended, does not cover the cost of fertilizer, which prevents coffee farmers from applying and receiving financial assistance for fertilizers that strengthen coffee tree health and immunity to diseases; and WHEREAS, pesticides and fungicides may present risks to human health and are expensive to obtain and properly store; and WHEREAS, sustaining coffee tree health reduces reliance on pesticides and fungicides to mitigate the impact of coffee leaf rust; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Agriculture is urged to assist coffee farmers in purchasing organic fertilizer to prevent coffee leaf rust; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Coffee Farmers; Coffee Leaf Rust; Organic Fertilizer
WHEREAS, coffee is one of the largest agricultural crops in the State and a highly valued commodity in the State's economy; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, coffee leaf rust, caused by a devastating plant pathogen that can devastate fields of coffee plants, was discovered for the first time on the islands of Hawaii and Maui; and
WHEREAS, considered to be one of the most damaging diseases of coffee plants, coffee leaf rust has also been found on Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, and Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the spread of coffee leaf rust on all Hawaiian Islands threatens the viability of the State's coffee industry; and
WHEREAS, Act 105, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014 (Act 105), appropriated funds for the development and implementation of a pesticide subsidy program, which was implemented in 2016, to assist coffee growers with offsetting the cost of purchasing pesticides containing Beauveria bassiana, a naturally occurring fungus known to cause mortality in coffee berry borers; and
WHEREAS, Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, established a full-time, exempt, temporary pesticide subsidy program manager position; and
WHEREAS, subsequent legislation extended the sunset dates of the pesticide subsidy program and pesticide subsidy program manager position to June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024, respectively, and expanded the pesticide subsidy program to also offer subsidies to purchase contact and systemic fungicides that, when combined, are effective against coffee leaf rust; and
WHEREAS, tree health is a vital component in fighting the infestation and spread of coffee leaf rust; and
WHEREAS, according to the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, the cost of fertilizer for the maintenance of coffee tree health is at least equal to the cost of fungicides that are used to control coffee leaf rust on organic farms; and
WHEREAS, the pesticide subsidy program established by Act 105, as amended, does not cover the cost of fertilizer, which prevents coffee farmers from applying and receiving financial assistance for fertilizers that strengthen coffee tree health and immunity to diseases; and
WHEREAS, pesticides and fungicides may present risks to human health and are expensive to obtain and properly store; and
WHEREAS, sustaining coffee tree health reduces reliance on pesticides and fungicides to mitigate the impact of coffee leaf rust; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Agriculture is urged to assist coffee farmers in purchasing organic fertilizer to prevent coffee leaf rust; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.
OFFERED BY: _____________________________
OFFERED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Coffee Farmers; Coffee Leaf Rust; Organic Fertilizer